I Can Take The News Okay
by Dulcineah
Summary: One-shot. Lorelai breaks the news to Christopher that she is engaged to Luke.


Author's Notes:

This is a one-shot Lorelai/Christopher (but also Luke/Lorelai) story based on an idea I've had for several weeks. I'm still actively working on "As Day Flies From Moonlight" and intend to have the next chapter out soon, but I couldn't resist taking a break to dash off this as well.

As always, I don't own Gilmore Girls or any lyrics used. Credit also goes to Mandy from the GG board for making the totally awesome Lorelai/Chris music video that made me want to write this story. So I guess the concept is really hers, and I hope she doesn't mind my borrowing it to write this story. And as always, please let me know if you like this!

_Well, you called me up this morning  
__Told me 'bout the new love that you found  
__Said, "I'm happy for you. I'm really happy for you."  
__Found someone else, I guess I won't be coming 'round  
__I guess it's over, baby  
__It's really over, baby,_

_And from what you're saying  
__I know you've gotten over me  
__It'll never be the way it used to be  
__So if it's gotta be this way  
__Don't worry, baby, I can take the news okay_

--Chicago, "Look Away"

* * *

She called on Wednesday and told him she'd be in town on Friday. She had something to tell him, and it had to be in person. It wouldn't take long—maybe he could meet her on his lunch hour? Or if that didn't work, she could always come on another day. But she wanted to see him. It was important to her. Please, Christopher.

He told her not to be ridiculous, and that he'd make reservations for them at twelve thirty on Friday afternoon. He couldn't have refused her, even if he'd wanted to. He'd never been any good at saying no to Lorelai Gilmore.

There was a sinking feeling in his stomach as he hung up the phone. In all the years he'd known Lorelai, he'd never known her to act like this, to call and ask his permission to see him. That just wasn't her. She was more the type to simply show up at his front door, or to call him in a panic from her bachelorette party that he hadn't known she was having since she hadn't told him she was engaged. If she had something to tell him, she would put it off and put it off until she was completely freaked out about it. That was the Lorelai he'd grown up with, and he realized with a chill that he didn't know her anymore.

Which was entirely his fault. If he wanted to be honest, he was lucky that she still talked to him at all after everything that had happened between them last time. He could blame it on the timing, or just plain bad luck that Sherry happened to get pregnant when she did. He would give anything to change the way things had turned out—she had to know that. He had tried to tell her so many times, even showed up at her parents' house to talk to her after she refused to return his phone calls. Of course, that had been a spectacular failure, but still—he'd tried.

If there was one thing he'd learned in the years since, it was that it didn't do any good to blame anyone for what happened. It wasn't Sherry's fault, and it certainly wasn't Gigi's. No matter what happened, he had blown things with Lorelai once and for all.

* * *

She met him promptly at twelve thirty on Friday afternoon, giving him a hug and a chaste peck on the lips before sitting down across the table from him. She looked fabulous, but then again, Lorelai always looked fabulous. Her eyes sparkled happily at him and he found himself automatically returning her bright smile. "Hi, Chris. Thanks for meeting me."

"Come on, now," he teased her. "How could I turn down lunch with Lorelai Gilmore?"

"This is true," she grinned.

"So how have you been?" he asked, then immediately wished he hadn't. He wanted to enjoy a few casual moments with her. He didn't want to jump into a heavy discussion right away. "How's Rory?"

Lorelai smiled. "She's great. She made the Dean's List again last semester, and she's got an internship lined up for the summer."

"You've done such an incredible job with her," Christopher told her. "I mean it. She couldn't be a better kid and let's be honest, I didn't have much to do with it."

Lorelai touched his hand. "Chris, Rory loves you. You'd be there for her in a heartbeat if she ever needed you, and she knows that."

"I would." He nodded. "I'd be there for both of you."

"Oh, Chris." She squeezed his hand. "I know you would."

"You look good," he remarked. "Better than good. You look great."

"Chris..." She drew a breath. "I wanted you to be the first one to know. I'm engaged."

He could have sworn he felt his heart stop beating in the instant after she told him. It wasn't terribly surprising, really. He'd gathered from his intermittent conversations with her and his weekly pone calls with Rory that Lorelai had been seeing Luke from the diner for some time, and that the relationship was getting serious. Lorelai had had other relationships before, and she had been engaged before. But she'd never told him in person, and she'd never told him first.

She was still waiting for his reaction, her eyes anxiously searching his. He dug down inside of himself and found the unselfish part of him, the one that wanted Lorelai to be happy. "That's great, Lor," he told her. "I'm happy for you. And I'm honored you told me first." He gestured to the waiter. "Could we get some champagne over here?"

"Chris, you don't have to do this," Lorelai protested.

"Of course I do," he insisted. "This is a special occasion. You don't get engaged every day now, do you?"

She grinned. "Maybe not every day..."

"Okay, maybe not," he agreed. "But this is the real thing, isn't it?"

"I think it is," Lorelai confessed. "Luke makes me so happy. I've never had a relationship like this, Chris."

Her words stung, even though he knew she hadn't meant anything by them. "Congratulations, Lorelai."

"Oh, Chris," she said softly. "I didn't mean to hurt you. You're always going to be part of who I am. I'd never trade what we had together."

This time he was the one to squeeze her hand. "I know, Lor. We just weren't meant to be."

"You're always going to be one of the most important people in my life." Her voice was so soft he could barely hear it, and her eyes shone slightly as she quickly wiped a tear away.

"Mine too," he promised her. "And we'll always be friends, no matter what."

"Of course we will," she promised.

"I know Luke's going to make you happy," Chris told her. "And if he doesn't, you just let me know and I'll come down there and kick his ass."

She stood up, leaned across the table, and pecked him on the cheek. "I love you, Christopher."

He stood up as well, and pulled her into a tight embrace. "I love you too, Lorelai."

They spent the rest of the meal talking about Rory and Gigi, and Lorelai's work at the Dragonfly and exactly why the Offspring was way cooler then Metallica. Lorelai had to leave right after lunch, confessing that she was going to break the news of her engagement to Richard and Emily that night at dinner. He walked her to her car and hugged her once more, whispering for her to call him if he ever needed her. She promised that she would, but he knew that she wouldn't.

Lorelai was marrying Luke, and she would be happy with him. Christopher would go to her wedding, dance with her at the reception and wish her all the best. He was happy for her, he really was. It hurt, but he was happy for her.

He watched her drive away, knowing that something between them was lost forever.


End file.
